


aquarium

by milksy



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, NCT Dream - Freeform, Na Jaemin is a Softie, Park Jisung (NCT) is Whipped, aesthetic, jaesung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 13:12:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16285223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milksy/pseuds/milksy
Summary: jaemin and jisung are visiting an aquarium





	aquarium

**Author's Note:**

> i think im gonna dedicate this entire account to filling up the jaesung tag because it's so underrated and we don't get enough of it. please, we are so hungry.

_i hate this so much._ i looked at the fish tank in front of me with jaemin by my side, who was chattering enthusiastically about the creatures swimming around and reading from the plaque hanging on the glass. he was tugging on my sleeve like an excited child and i didn’t think that he realized that he was holding onto it until he stopped talking about the funny stripes on a big fish that was swimming through the tank. he let go sheepishly and i smiled, despite my fear of the water. 

“sorry,” he mumbled, turning to face me. i just shook my head and laughed, mumbling an “it’s fine” under my breath. really, it was more than fine. actually, i was more than fine with him holding onto my sleeve for the rest of my life if he wanted to. 

“aren’t they pretty though?” he asked, pressing both of his hands up against the glass. _not as pretty as you._

“they’re kind of creepy,” i laughed, taking a step towards the tank. “you see how big that one’s mouth is? it’s like it’s eternally screaming.” 

“you’re such a child,” he teased, rolling his eyes. 

“says you,” i replied, turning around to face the empty room. it was around 8 pm, and the aquarium was closing in about half an hour. i shoved my hands into my pockets. jaemin had gotten this urge to visit some fish earlier that day and of course the first person he wanted to accompany him was someone who was afraid of the ocean. i would never tell him that, though, since he would probably insist i stay back and he would probably take someone like jeno along instead. somehow, the room looked scarier when it was empty of the families and students who frequently visited with nothing to block the eerie blue hue of the water from reflecting off the walls. but i had never seen jaemin look so pretty. the water suited him. 

“c’mere,” jaemin said suddenly, grabbing my hand. “i wanna show you something.” 

i obeyed him, letting him lead me through the maze that was the halls of the aquarium and their endless exhibitions. we stopped in the middle of a long narrow hallway and when i looked up, there was glass that cascaded over the both of us in an arc that let us feel like we were sitting in an oxygen bubble at the bottom of the ocean. large fish swam overhead and looped down to our sides, nearing towards the glass as if they could smell my fear. 

“sit down,” the older boy ordered, pulling him downwards. we sat with our legs crossed facing each other, jaemin’s silhouette outlined by the glow of the water behind him. 

“it’s pretty,” i said, looking at jaemin. _he was pretty._

“isn’t it?” he sighed, leaning his cheek into the palm of his hand. “it’s pretty.” 

“pretty,” i repeated, whispering. we sat there for some time; jaemin looking at the fish and me looking at jaemin. i didn’t know why i had been paying extra attention to him lately. i never went out of my way to help anyone or even do anything that was outside of my comfort zone, but here i was sitting with someone that i would stumble over my own feet to volunteer for. it was stupid, and i knew it. jaemin was my best friend and had taken care of me when i was only fifteen, young and already with an audience to satisfy. he was the only person i trusted on my team for a long time and it was difficult to begin trusting the others, but it was always easy with him. but after awhile, i started taking mental notes of the things that made him laugh just so i could replicate the sound easily by making a certain face or cracking a joke at mark’s expense. just hearing the sound of his laugh could make my day better. 

we must had been sitting there for at least five minutes before i was the first to say anything. “how did you know about this?” 

he sat, silent for a little seeming to mull over an answer in his head. “i don’t think i did,” he smiled. 

“what?” i laughed, tilting my head to make eye contact with him. 

“we passed this on the way over to the last tank,” jaemin said, reaching out a hand to play with the cuff of my pants. “i thought you’d like it.” _he was right. i did like it._

“well, you thought right,” i said, watching his hand toy mindlessly with the seam of my jeans. he smiled, and it almost took my breath away. 

“you’re beautiful,” i said without thinking, feeling a familiar heat crawling up my cheeks. “i mean, this is all beautiful. but you’re really beautiful.” he sat still, taking a moment to process what i had just said. it was only a few seconds, but panic began to set in as i realized what i had just done. 

“you think i’m beautiful?” he whispered, inching closer to me. i looked down at my hands, clenching and unclenching them.

“yeah,” i said faintly. “i think you’re beautiful.” 

“i think you’re beautiful, too,” he replied. I could feel his eyes burning into my scalp as i smiled into my lap. _he thinks i’m beautiful, too._ i finally mustered up the courage to let my eyes meet his, and i could see the same smile drawn across his lips. his lips. 

it was silent enough to where i could hear my heart thudding in my chest, mixed with the rhythm of the faint aquatic sound of water lapping through glass. jaemin reached his hand up and cupped my chin, taking a moment to look at me as if he was examining what he was holding. i leaned in slowly, letting my eyes flutter shut until i was met with the feeling of jaemin’s lips against mine. it was a short kiss, but it was enough to fill in everything i wanted to say to him. that he was one of the only things i looked forward to seeing everyday or that he was the prettiest thing to grace the earth. yes, when i pulled away, it felt like all those things were floating in the air around us with the fish. 

“i’m afraid of the ocean,” i blurted out. 

jaemin laughed. “wait, really?”


End file.
